


Dream A Little Dream Of Me

by SnowWhiteKnight



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Amusement Park, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blame Sandor, But not sadistic, College Ages, Dream Sequence, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Joffrey is a dick, Mild Language, Older Sansa, Past Joffrey Baratheon/Sansa Stark, Sansa is a thrill seeker, fake Joffrey Baratheon/Margaery Tyrell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 00:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5949169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowWhiteKnight/pseuds/SnowWhiteKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sansa dreams she's dating the Hound, but wakes up to find she's not. But at least she's not dating Joffrey either. Can she convince Sandor to date her for real? Answer: Probably. He has been in love with her nearly as long as she's been in love with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wake Me Up

“Sansa,” came the deep rumbly voice of her boyfriend. “Wake up, we’re here.”

“Mmm? I’m up, I’m up…” she mumbled into his shoulder. He chuckled as she groggily found her backpack under the bus seat. She was fully awake once they were off the bus, the scent of food wafting from nearby. Her stomach gurgled loudly.

“Hungry, little bird?” he laughed again. “Come on, I’ll buy you a snack.” He held her hand as they made their way to the food vendors on the boardwalk.

**********

The roller coaster was scary, but exhilarating. As long as she was able to hold on to Sandor, she was fine. Same with the tilt-a-whirl and the cyclone. The ferris wheel was a welcome relief, though, and she snuggled into his side as they drifted in a circle. He had originally complained about it being a boring ride, but she soon convinced him of its advantages as they made out. She giggled as he growled at the ride attendant when the kid told them it was time to disembark.

**********

Dinner was as close to perfect as it could be. He took her to Tarth Island Brewing Company, a restaurant renowned for their beer and their pizza. She even tried some of the Stout Trout Ale Sandor ordered. It was...interesting, but she stuck to her usual soda. They ate and watched the sunset across the water from where they sat in the outdoor patio of the restaurant, trading stories and quips.

**********

They returned to their campsite on the beach, though Sandor asked her to make the fire. She snuggled against him. She couldn’t get enough of it. His scent, his warmth, his kisses. She was happy with him, happier than she remembered being in a very long time.

**********

“Little bird, wake up. We’re almost there.” Sandor roused her gently. She opened her eyes slowly. She was leaning on his shoulder again. She gave him a sleepy smile, leaned up and kissed him.

“Just five more minutes, ok?” she asked, settling in against him, closing her eyes and pulling her jacket around her like a blanket.

“Uh, sure,” he mumbled. “Just a few minutes though.”

“I had a wonderful dream about a date we went on,” she said softly, eyes still closed. “We should try it sometime. We took a bus and then a ferry to Tarth. We went to a boardwalk, sunset dinner at TIBC and then camping on the beach.”

“You dreamed you went on a date with  _ me?” _ he asked incredulously.

“Of course, silly. You’re my boyfriend. Who else would I go on a date with?” she asked, looking up at him, still sleepy and in confusion.

“Hey! Will you two quit lollygagging back there? I want to get on the Monsoon ride already!” Joffrey yelled at them before exiting the bus. Sansa’s eyes went wide as reality slammed her brain back to full consciousness. Sandor wasn’t her boyfriend. Thankfully, neither was Joffrey. He was just her very mean, selfish, why-is-she-still-hanging-around-with-him ex-boyfriend. They weren’t on public transportation, they were on a rented party bus. Joffrey had just gotten into his grandfather’s alma mater (after two years and a lot of strings were pulled) and had wanted to celebrate by going to the Lannister owned amusement park with his cronies and his current girlfriend, Margaery, who was also now Sansa’s best friend. Margaery and Sandor were the only reasons she stayed in the group. Joffrey tolerated her because he thought she wasn’t over him yet.  _ Newsflash, I was over you two months into the “relationship.” _ They were spending the entire day there, despite being adults. At the time she agreed to go, a day of childish fun had sounded like  _ just _ what she needed after the past month at Winterfell Industries, and the busy season was just starting.

Her face was burning from embarrassment as she sat up quickly, unable to look him in the eyes.  _ Oh my goodness, how could I let this happen! Getting caught acting out my dreams! I’m a little surprised he didn’t yell at me _ . She blamed all the time they had spent together for the past few years, all the times he had been nice even when he was being mean. She had developed a crush on her then-boyfriend’s friend, and if she hadn’t known it before the dream (she had), then she definitely would have known it now.

“Guess dream time is over then,” Sandor sighed. “Sorry you didn’t wake up sooner?” he asked her bitterly.

“More sorry I had to wake up to him,” she replied. “Sandor, I apologize, I shouldn’t have kissed you. I got the dream world mixed up with reality. If Joffrey or anyone else had seen it…” She didn’t want to complete that thought. He may be with someone else, but he was kind of guy who wouldn’t let things be. She didn’t mind if others knew she liked Sandor, but Joffrey would do everything to humiliate them if he found out. “I’m just thankful only you witnessed my faux pas.” She stood up and gathered her things.

“So...you’re not sorry you kissed me?”

“Sandor, I already…” the look on his face stopped her. “Oh...you mean, am I sorry I kissed you in general, and not am I sorry I kissed you because we could have been caught?” He nodded, unable to look at her. She knew the answer without having to think about it. She walked to the entrance of the party bus casually, stopping at one of the seats to pick up some things. She had thought the answer to her questions obvious, but… “I’ll tell you, if you promise to hang out with me today. Joffrey’s likely already ditched us.”

Sandor snorted, returning to his usual manner. “Fine. I was probably going to be given babysitting duty anyway. Any other conditions?”

She thought about it. The plan she originally had for today was still viable, even with her sleepy mistake. Possibly even more so, now that he knew she dreamed of him. Her heart beat a little quicker from nervousness as she said, “Yes. I’d like for you to treat it as an actual date.”

“Didn’t you already have a ‘date’ with me?” he sneered behind her. She whipped around, but he caught her wrists. “Why would you think I’d want to take you on an actual one?”

Her pulse was pounding in her ears. He was so close! She’d barely have to lean in to kiss him again. Except...he was so angry.  _ Was I wrong? Did I misread his behavior towards me? Again? _ Or  _ was  _ he angry? She gazed into his eyes.  _ No, not anger. Fear. Of what? Rejection? That it’s a joke? _ Her gaze fell to his throat and she remembered nuzzling that same throat in her dream, remembered how it calmed her. Her pulse slowed to a more normal pace. That’s when she noticed, another pulse on her wrist.  _ Not mine, his. From his thumb. _ She remembered in health science class, they had said to never check a pulse with your thumb, because it emitted a pulse out of sync with the rest of the body and would throw off the check. Or something like that. Either way, she counted to herself. His was racing. It gave her hope, and she mustered up the courage to attempt feminine wiles at him. 

“You don’t have to,” she said, looking up at him through her eyelashes and leaning forward just a teensy bit so that their lips were almost touching. “I just wanted to see how a real date with you stacked up to a dream date. That’s all. If you don’t want to, I won’t force you. We can just go find the group and pretend this never happened. Any of it. Just say the word.”  _ Please don’t agree with that! _

He released her wrists. “Didn’t say I wouldn’t, just asked why you’d think that…” he mumbled, casting his eyes back down.  _ Hurray for reverse psychology! _ She grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him along to rejoin the group.


	2. Shake, Rattle & Roll

Sure enough, Joff had ditched them. Margaery sent the little bird a text to let her know that there were two VIP tickets at the box office on reserve for them, as well as a promise to meet up with the little bird for lunch.

Sansa, knowing that he wouldn’t tell anyone, told him that Margaery was only with Joffrey because their parents were working on some business deal. The girl could barely stand him, and her real boyfriend was working at the amusement park today. They picked up their tickets and entered the park. 

“So, what do you want to do first?” she asked him. They were sitting on a bench, looking at the park map they had been given. He wasn’t sure about this whole “date” thing. He had yet to get past a second date, and those had been few and far between.  _ Then again, she did kiss your ugly mug when she was half asleep, believing you were hers to kiss. Think of this as a first date. You’re not...horrible at first dates. Granted, if I had known, I would have chosen a different venue. Though...it’s always the same place and always ends with the same thing… Maybe this is for the best. Sink or swim. Fuck, this is too much pressure. _ He refocused his energy and studied the map.  _ Might as well see what I’ve got to work with. Let’s see, roller coasters, water rides, oh the Power Surge might be good, various shows, haunted house, and lots and lots of souvenir shops and food venues. What did she say about her dream? Boardwalk, view of the sunset while we ate, and beach camping. Not exactly a boardwalk here... Fuck it. Blind pick it is. _ He closed his eyes and pointed to the map. He opened his eyes when he heard the little bird say, “You want to go on the SkyScreamer?”

He looked at the little picture. It didn’t look that bad. “Unless you’re scared?” he smirked. She glared at him and puffed up like an agitated little sparrow. “Then let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and started off towards the ride.

**********

He was having second doubts when they were in line. The SkyScreamer was  _ HUGE. _ It was basically a giant centrifuge. The only good thing about it was that all the seats were doubles, so he would get to sit next to the little bird. Downside, the line was half an hour long. It was only nine in the morning and the sun was already blazing. And he had left his hair down to cover his scars.  _ I’d kill for a hair tie right now. _ He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his neck. Sansa was pulling his hair back and tying it into a ponytail. He heard some people gasp as his scars were revealed, but the gentle look on her face made him forget it immediately. She even fished out a black and grey baseball cap from her backpack that said  _ Winterfell Direwolves _ across it that matched her pink and grey one.

“I have sunscreen if you need it. I also snuck in some water bottles,” she whispered. “Last thing I want to do is get dehydrated. Though I did see an offer if you buy one of the novelty water bottles with the plastic character topper, you can get free refills all day long.”

“You want to have free refills on soda all day? You’ll be as hyper as a hummingbird,” he chuckled. His heart skipped a beat as she laced her arm around his and leaned her head on his shoulder.

_“Ok,_ maybe not soda, but they have sports drinks and lemonade as well. It’s just a thought.” The line made little progress. “Do you know what you want to do after this?”

_ Go home and fuck my hand while I can still remember how you feel against me. _ He coughed. “You should pick next.”

She dug the map out of her pocket and studied it, never letting go of his arm. “How about ‘Revenge of the Mad King’ roller coaster? It goes upside-down  _ and _ backwards.”

“Sounds horrible. Sure, why not?”

**********

He was pretty sure he left his stomach somewhere in the last three rides and was noticeably wobbly once they left the ‘Red Iron Viper’ roller coaster.  _ Who knew the little bird was such a thrill seeker? _ It was the third roller coaster and sixth ride they had done today, and it was barely lunch time. He was sitting on a park bench, trying to regain his bearings, while she was getting a refill on that novelty water bottle she had bought. They had alternated picking the rides, and every single one of hers had been a roller coaster.  _ At least I’m not nauseous, I guess. _ They had had a glimpse of Joffrey and Boros puking in the bushes after exiting one of the tamer rides.

Sansa was still in line for lemonade when Margaery came running up to him. “Sandor! You’ll never believe it!”

“If it has to do with Sansa’s tolerance of G-Forces, then yeah, I will.”

“What? Oh, yeah, she’s a maniac for those rides, but no! I mean, your friend Bronn is the guy I came to see here.” She squealed a little. “If you and Sansa end up getting married, and Bronn and I get married, she and I will be, like, sisters!!” Sandor gaped at her as she did a little happy dance.

“Sansa and I...we’re not even dating!” he exclaimed.  _ Even today, she said “treat it like a date”, not that it was a date! _

“What!? I thought you two had been going out forever! Well, not forever, but before I got with Joff. You’re really  _ not  _ dating?”  _ She’s pouting. Why is she pouting? _

_ “No, _ we’re not. Why would you think that?” A part of him was pleased that someone thought Sansa was dating him, but a larger part was annoyed since it wasn’t the case.

“You’re always taking her out places, and when the group gets together, you usually drive with her, and you’re protective of her, and you two fight like an old married couple sometimes. Oh, and the presents.”

He frowned. She wasn’t wrong on any of those accounts. He narrowed in on one of her points. “What presents?”

“That hat. That shirt. Those boots. For three examples.”

“She brought an extra hat and saw that I needed it. The shirt was from some art project she did, and it’s damned comfortable. The boots...those were a nameday present and she insisted I take them or she’d toss them in the river. Damn waste of a good pair of footwear.”

“The charm bracelet you gave her that she wears, like,  _ every _ day. That Avengers shirt you gave her. The pepper spray, practical, but nice.”

“The charm bracelet was a nameday gift since she forced the boots on me. The Avengers shirt, it used to be mine but it didn’t fit anymore and she liked it well enough. The pepper spray... She needs to be able to fend off pervs when she goes to that crap office she works in. You’d think her dad would make sure she worked in one of the branches located in a safer part of town. It was for her own safety, it’s not a present.”

“A present is anything that you do not demand repayment for, and shows that you were thinking about the person,” Margaery pointed out. “Or worried about their safety.” She fished into her purse and brought out a small black rectangle. “Bronny bought me a taser! Isn’t he the sweetest?”

_ Sansa dreamed a date with me, and Margaery is giggling over how sweet Bronn is for giving her a taser. Women be crazy. _ “The sweetest. He’s giving me a toothache.” 

“Who’s giving you a toothache?” Sansa asked, sitting next to him. He ignored the knowing look Margaery was giving him as Sansa settled into his side. His arm had been on the back of the bench and now it was technically around Sansa so that they looked...cozy. He quite liked it, except for the smugness radiating from the brown-haired girl.

“Her boytoy, it’s Bronn, it turns out.”

“Ohmygosh! That’s hilarious. I had no idea he was your secret boyfriend, Mar,” she said as she offered Sandor a sip of the lemonade. “So is he still working or what?” she asked Margaery as Sandor hogged the drink. He figured he could offer to stand in line for the next one. Right now, the crisp taste of the juice based drink was helping settle his nerves over his conversation with Margaery.

“Yeah, but he’s been here since six, and he’s already worked all his hours for the week, so he’ll be joining us pretty soon. Maybe we could all go to grab some lunch together? He’ll be able to get us an employee discount.”

“Eh...yeah, I guess, if you want to,” he said to Sansa, handing back the nearly depleted bottle. She made a face at him and finished it off.

“I’m fine with that. What about Joffrey? What if he sees us all? Specifically you, Mar.”

“Oh, yeah, forgot to tell you. I’m broke up with him today. The deal between Lannister Corporation and Tyrell Industries fell through last week. Grandmother said I can do it whenever I want, but I really wanted to get a free ticket to this place, plus the FastLane bracelets rock!”

“That’s cold, babe,” Bronn said from behind Sandor. “I could have gotten you the ticket and bracelet.”

“Yeah, but I could have done it  _ just  _ as easily as well. Tyrells are worth more than Lannisters nowadays. Besides, you didn’t have to because Joff did. I’m you’re ‘malicious little minx’, remember? And now I get to spend the rest of the day with you!” she said, pouncing on Bronn. “But if you really want to, you can buy all of us lunch.” Bronn just chuckled and lead them to a restaurant he liked in the park.

**********

“So Margie says you’re not dating Red?” Bronn asked him once the ladies had gone off to freshen up.

“Your girl has a big mouth.” He put his most bored face on. “And it was never a secret or anything. Why is everyone asking about this all of a sudden?”

“Because everyone thought you were dating.”

Sandor furrowed his eyebrows. “Define  _ everyone.” _

Bronn thought about it for a second, “Well, me, Margie, most of our classmates… Some of them even thought you two were married, actually.”

“Shit…” He ran his hand over his face. “What about Joff? Does he think that? Fairly certain he knows we’re not  _ married.” _

Bronn raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea, now that you mention it. Margie would know.” He pulled his phone out and texted her. The response was almost immediate. “Uh, yeah, looks like. The entire group, too. Joffrey makes a lot of snide comments apparently. You never heard him say anything?”

Sandor shook his head, but then stopped and remembered some odd comments from just this past week alone. Comments that wouldn’t be so odd  _ if  _ Sansa was his girlfriend. “Well, shit. I guess I have. Why does everyone think that?”

“Can’t speak for everyone, but I thought it because she treats you differently than she does anyone else. I also thought it was odd that you never kiss, though that could be chalked up to not liking PDA. I mean, dude, c’mon, she  _ makes  _ you lunch and brings it to campus more often than not. She doesn’t even  _ attend  _ our school. She just...takes care of you, is there for you. And you are the same way with her. You can’t tell me you’re not aware of that.”

“Always figured she was just being friendly…” Sandor mumbled, though it sounded weak to his ears. Bronn snorted.

“Plus, neither one of you has dated anyone else since she broke up with Joff, what was it, three years ago? Four? At any rate, she fucking dotes on you, man.” He took a long swig of his drink. “So...if you’re not dating her, then what are you going to do? Ignore the entire thing? Ask her out? I know a good place you can take her for dinner here.”

“I…” He was saved from answering with the return of Sansa and Margaery. Their food came soon after and it was not long until they were back on the “streets” of the amusement park. “So now what? No way I’m going on any vomit inducing rides for at least two hours. Or going to the water park section,” he said when he saw Bronn about to suggest something. Bronn’s mouth snapped shut.

“What about some of the shows? There’s a Rock ‘N Roll show that’s in thirty minutes. Should be entertaining,” Sansa suggested. Everyone agreed on it, but Sansa insisted on Sandor refilling their water bottle before they went in, since he drank most of that last refill.  _ When did it become “ours”? _

The crowd for the “Rock N’ Roll High School Jamboree & Spring Fling” was only slightly insane. They had to really squish themselves in, and it was more than a little uncomfortable, even if it was Sansa he was squished next to. Once the show attendants stopped packing the patrons in like sardines, Sansa took it upon herself to sit on his lap. “What are you doing?!” he hissed at her.

“Wasn’t comfortable,” was all she said. He looked over to Bronn and Margaery for backup, but they were doing the same damned thing, only more lovey dovey. He could practically  _ see _ the fucking animated hearts bubbling up from the two of them. “This is a date, remember?” she whispered to him. “Just treat me like you would any other date.” That was the problem, wasn’t it? She wasn’t like any other date he had gone out with. He gulped nervously as she rolled her eyes and pulled his arms around her waist. “Let me know if I am I being too forward, or is this something you would normally do when you’re not so out of it?” she teased him. He was fairly certain he nodded or said yes, because she looked pleased and leaned back against him. He had to make an effort to concentrate on the show. It was highly entertaining, and he could see why it was so popular. The little bird hummed along to the melodies and sang along to the ones she knew the words to. And he got to hold her the entire time. It was nice. 

_ How would I act on a regular date? _ As Bronn had pointed out, he hadn’t been on one in awhile, not since falling for Sansa in his senior year of high school and getting to know her as his partner on the yearbook staff. No other girl had even been remotely interesting after meeting her. Sadly, before that, the majority of his dates (which weren’t  _ that  _ numerous) consisted of taking a girl to the movies and dinner afterwards, and then an awkward makeout session plus getting to third base. He wasn’t particularly skilled, but his dates seemed happy enough at the end of it, knowing  _ exactly  _ what going out with the Hound would end with. He did what he could to make sure of it, using all three of his tried and true moves. A few girls stuck around longer, but not for dates, just the hook ups, which he was fine with, but they got bored eventually. So did he, for that matter. That was another fear. Would Sansa eventually tire of him? She was the loyal sort, the kind of girl that was in it for the long haul, and even if she did get bored with him, she’d probably try to stick it out and make it work with him until she just got fed up and left.  _ Ugh...I really need to get out of my own head before I become a fucking emo. _

If he was going to be fair about it, the major difference between his previous attempts at dating  _ (was it really dating?) _ and Sansa was that he had gotten to know her and she got to know him, without the pressure of needing to impress each other. They had fought like cats and dogs at first  _ (maybe more like a barking dog and a huffy bird), _ though that had mostly been his fault for poking fun at her so often when she had been nothing but polite to him. His only defense was that she was really cute in her reactions to him. As Senior Photographer for the Red Keep High School Yearbook, he was in charge of the newbies, but the school was actually quite small despite the large population of the city. The one and only new photographer that year had been sophomore Sansa Stark. He had cringed at the thought of instructing the fluffhead girlfriend of his so-called friend, but had quickly learned that she was an apt student, and her demeanor with Joffrey was nothing like how she usually was. He also learned that while she was sophomore age, she was a senior like him and three of her brothers, having skipped two grades due to her high academic standing. His time with her became something to look forward to. She and Joffrey broke up only after two months, right after homecoming weekend, but she still hung out with the group. Joffrey had been unbearable towards her, but she had stuck it out and eventually, he had cooled down, more or less. That was a few months shy of three years ago. 

That part he never understood. Joff was a dick and a philanderer in general, which is why they had broken up. Preston, Boros and Meryn were also dicks. Arys was an ok guy, but he and Sansa had little in common. She got along well enough with Arianne, Arys’ girlfriend, and they sometimes got together outside of the group to shop, but he wouldn’t call them friends. More like close acquaintances. Balon was an ok guy too, if he had to admit it, and she got along with the guy alright, but there was no way they could be called friends either. Margaery joined the group seven months ago as the new girlfriend, and they had gotten along better than you’d expect of an ex-girlfriend and a current girlfriend. Or maybe not, since Sansa had no regrets about her and Joff’s breakup, and Margaery wasn’t actually into him either.

_ Just another part of the mystery of Sansa Stark, I guess. _ The show was over. It had been a little under two hours, plus the wait time to get in. He was feeling up to the next proposed idea from Bronn, a visit to the water park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of the rides and stuff in this fic are based off of Six Flags Fiesta Texas, located in San Antonio, TX. Revenge of the Mad King is really The Joker's Revenge roller coaster. :)


	3. Disbelief

Unfortunately, Joff and the others were there. They had just exited the changing rooms and Sansa had pulled Sandor’s arm around her shoulders while giving him that shy smile of hers. Neither one of them had noticed Joff and company strolling up to them.

“Ugh, get a room, you two. No one wants to see you eyefuck,” he sneered at them. Sansa had stiffened, but then relaxed into confusion when that was all he said or did.

“I’ll explain later,” Sandor whispered. “Should be more concerned about--”

_ “You slut!” _ Joffrey screamed as he slapped Margaery. Bronn was on him in an instant.

“You apologize or else I get to redecorate the pool with your broken body,” he snarled Joffrey. Sansa went to Margaery’s side as Sandor stepped in between the two men and the others. 

“Out of the way, Hound,” Meryn said viciously. Preston and Boros were behind him, attempting to look menacing and only achieving a lost puppy look.

“Or what, Trant? You lot couldn’t take me on a bad day, and today’s been rather good. Besides, looks like Arys and Balon aren’t as committed to the idea of a brawl as you three idiots are.” Arys was guiding Arianne away and Balon was obliviously chatting up a pretty lifeguard. “So, you, Pres and Boros think you can take me?” Sandor gave him a practiced smile, malicious to the core. “Because I’d love to see you try.”

Margaery had gotten over the shock of being slapped and spoke up. “Bronny, it’s ok. I’m fine. Let him go.” 

Bronn stared at Joffrey, and Sandor wasn’t entirely certain that Joff would escape Bronn’s clutches unscathed, but a quick shove and Joffrey was falling to the ground away from Bronn. “You come near my girl like that again, and I will fuckin’  _ end  _ you.”

“She’s  _ my _ girl, and I will make you rue--”

_ “Joff!” _ Margaery interrupted. “Was I not clear this morning? I said ‘We’re through. I’m breaking up with you.’ And you said, ‘Fine.’ Do you remember that? Or has the sun baked your brain into a puddle of goo?”

“What? I thought you were joking! Playing hard to get or something. I figured you were just trying to wheedle something out of me.” Sandor wished he had a camera to capture the look on Joffrey’s face right at that moment. He heard a slight  _ click _ off to his left. Joffrey hadn’t noticed Sansa take a photo of him. 

Margaery rolled her eyes. “Joff, our entire relationship was just for show, remember? Our parents put us up to it? Is any of this ringing a bell? And then that deal they were working on fell through. So we don’t have to ‘date’ anymore. Besides, Bronn’s been my  _ real  _ boyfriend for more than a year now.”

“But…” Joffrey looked from her to Sansa and back again. His anger was plain to see as he got up from the pavement. “Ugh, fine. You whores can fuck your ugly assface twat boyfriends all you want. Don’t expect a ride home from here though!” Joffrey stomped off. Boros and Preston were right behind him, while Meryn stared at them like they were all nuts before following.

Margaery sighed, shook her head and brought her cell phone out. She dialed a number. “Hey, Maurice, it’s Margaery. Don’t let Joffrey, Preston, Boros or Meryn on the bus. At all. That’s the shrill one, the stupid ugly one, the fat ugly one and the mean ugly one. The ones with girlfriends are fine, and the quiet, somber one is ok, too. Yeah. Yeah. Ok. No, that’s fine. You still have time to play, no worries. Just toss their stuff to them if you see them before I get there. Ok. Bye.” She tossed the phone back in her pack. “Joff forgot one of the golden rules. Don’t piss off the person who gave you a ride. He bought the tickets for the park, I provided the ride here. Now, let’s go have some fun!”

**********

After stashing their belongings into a locker, she somehow convinced him to go on all the water slides with her. The tallest one there was saved for last. Bronn and Margaery had opted to go on the tube river instead. Sandor regretted agreeing to it about halfway up the first one, and even more so once they got to the fourth and last one. It was a fucking, long ass climb to the top, and he had to carry the raft, though Sansa offered to help. When it was finally their turn, they sat in the two-person raft, and the lifeguard, some high school punk that couldn’t keep his eyes off Sansa, was telling them the rules. He couldn’t really blame the guy, he was having a hard time not popping a boner every time he looked at her in her modest yet sexy as hell dark grey tankini. There was a stoplight next to them. Once it turned green, the punk shoved hard against the raft, sending it and them careening down the long narrow tube. He was fairly certain he didn’t scream like a scaredy cat. Fairly certain. Sansa was laughing with delight, and when they touched down into the pool, his heart was racing. 

They rolled off the raft and into the water, dragging the raft with them out of the way so the area around the tube was clear. The attendant at the bottom of the tube slide took the raft from them, and signaled the all clear sign to the top of the slide. Sansa maneuvered her way around him and jumped on his back, riding piggyback as he walked through the chest-high water. Well, for him it was closer to his waist, but not quite. “You’re such a child,” he teased her, hooking his arms under her legs for better balance.

“Only because you’re letting me,” she teased back.

“Oh, so what if I did  _ this!” _ He let go of her legs and grabbed her arm. She shrieked as he flipped her over his shoulder and into the water. She came back up, sputtering and laughing.

“You jerk! Now who’s being the child!?” She slapped her hand against the water, splashing him good. It quickly devolved into a water fight. The other patrons of the water park largely ignored them. He finally put an end to it by wrapping his arms around her, trapping her against him. Of course she flailed, laughing and shrieking feigned protests. He suddenly regretted holding her like this because her flailing had her rubbing against his body and causing a potentially embarrassing problem if anyone should notice it.

“Damnit, Sansa, hold still!” he growled. His tone may have been too harsh, but she stopped. He felt bad about the hurt confusion on her face, but then mortified as dawning awareness crept across her lovely features.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sandor and his awkward boner.


	4. I think today went well, don't you?

“Damnit, Sansa, hold still!” he said sharply. Sansa stilled her movements. _Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt him by accident?_ Then she felt it. The hard part of him that she sometimes _(ok, fine, OFTEN)_ thought about when she was alone in her bed and touched herself. He held her against him tightly, his face turning all sorts of red. A wave of lust overcame her and an evil thought filled her mind, a sudden need to wrap her legs around his waist and grind her core against him. _He would really yell at me if I did that._ Instead, she relaxed her body and smiled at him. It was enough to know that he _did_ have a physical reaction to her. He in turn relaxed his grip on her somewhat, allowing her to slip her arms around his neck. She suppressed the urge to kiss him. She wasn’t sure she could stop at a kiss right now, and really, this was their first date! _Save the wantonness for the third date, at least! For now, break the tension._

“Is that a banana in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” she said with a sly grin and a cheeky wink. He looked at her in disbelief and then burst out laughing. Part of her was disappointed to feel his erection recede, but she knew it was for the best. The mothers around the pool area would not have been pleased to see her effect on him, nor would they have been pleased to see her help him with it in another way. “Come on, Mr. Awkward Boner. Let’s get you away from innocent eyes. There’s the river tube ride. Or if you want to ditch the water park altogether, there’s another ride in the main park I’d like to go on.”

His face was still red from embarrassment and he mumbled, “Main park is fine.” They retrieved their things from the locker and headed into their respective changing rooms. She finished before he did, and started playing on her phone while she waited. Joffrey had sent her some snarky text messages that just made her roll her eyes. The last one insinuating he wanted to get back together with her. _Ugh, thanks, but no thanks._ She didn’t respond.

She did send a text to Margaery, letting her know they were leaving the water park, and confirming that they would meet up at the bus after the fireworks. Sandor still wasn’t out, so she decided to reapply her sunscreen. It was the highest SPF she could find, 100. She had been putting it on every two hours and she _still_ felt like she might have burned skin at the end of the day. She was nearly finished, applying it to her face last, when Sandor finally appeared. He was slightly out of breath and his face was pink from exertion.

“What happened to you?” she asked with concern.

“Had to...uh...deal with something before we moved on to the next thing,” he said, keeping his eyes on the ground.

She raised an eyebrow. “You had to... _deal_ with something?” His face went redder. _Interesting. Wonder if it had to do with a “banana”._ “Whatever, are you ready now? I’m getting hungry again. There’s this--”

“Actually, I kind of had a place in mind already,” he said, offering her his arm. She took it, rising to her feet from the bench, and they walked out of the water park. She looked at him to continue. “It’s called Rhaegar’s Rockets. Over in the futuristic section. You interested?”

“Sure.” She smiled at him and didn’t let get of his arm.

**********

“So...future Westeros includes pizza and beer?” she asked with amusement after they ordered. The entire restaurant was decorated like an alien planet, though the furniture was more space travel decor. The circular booth they sat in was neon blue, and the table cloth was clear vinyl with stars and planets all over it.

“And burgers. Classic food that is timeless,” Sandor returned. “Who knows? But Bronn told me about this place. Decent food, semi-decent live music, and,” he pointed to the center, “a dance floor. What do you say, little bird? Care to take a spin around it?”

“I’m honored by the offer. I would love to dance with you again,” she said, taking his extended hand and following him onto the dance floor. She remembered the last time they danced together.

**********

He had asked her to be his plus one to their senior prom. He had insisted it wasn’t a date, they were just going as friends, it was just a fake date, he said, because no one else he asked had agreed to go with him, but also had insisted wearing matching colors (dark blue and grey), on picking her up, giving her a corsage, and taking her out to dinner with the group after the prom. They had danced to three songs together, all slow. He had tried to keep her at a distance, but she had pushed and persuaded him that if she was his “date”, it would look more believable if they were closer, if they were chest to chest, and for the third song, cheek to cheek. _(Thank the gods for heels!)_  She had thought he would kiss her at the end of the third dance, the look in his eyes made her think he wanted to, but she had left the ballroom unkissed, and a little hurt by his rejection.

It was a small consolation that she was at least still on his arm as his “date” and he hadn’t looked at any other girls, though several looked at him. Well, just certain parts of him, if she was being honest. She had believed herself to be friendzoned, and had gone out of her way to try and get closer to him, to show him what a good girlfriend she could be. She helped him study for finals, brought him snacks, made him meals, went to the movies with him, hung out with him at both his house and hers. Her parents and older brothers had been wary at first, but soon saw that he wasn’t a threat and that he was a great guy, rough around the edges, but mostly respectful. He even started hanging out with Arya on occasion. Throughout it all, she touched him. Nothing big at first. Small touches to his arm, back, or shoulder. He jumped a little at the beginning, but he slowly grew accustomed to it. She had worked her way up to holding onto his arm as they walked (holding hands was reserved for girlfriend status) and eventually got to hugging.

If she was being super honest, he was a major reason she hadn’t gone off to university with Robb and Jon, and had opted to take online classes instead. Another major reason was that she didn’t feel the need to leave like her brothers had. She also took an internship in her father’s company. She had told her parents it would be a better learning experience, which was actually true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. She suspected that they knew that, but hadn’t pushed her. She had given up on Sandor more than a year ago, settling for at least being his friend and finding that comfortable space at his side.

It was only in the last few months that she had renewed hope that he might feel the same.

After a movie night with her mother, she had broken down and confessed everything she felt/believed about Sandor. To help her get over him, her mother had urged her to at least try to go out on dates, even going to far as so set up an online dating profile for her. She agreed on five dates to make her mother happy. They were all nice guys, really, but they just weren’t Sandor. Her third date, Hot Pie, was having a similar problem, except he was going on dates to hide the fact that he was gay and was in love with a man named Mycah. She kept in touch with him as friends, hoping that someday he would be able to come out to his family.

On the fifth and final date, she was out at the movies with a guy named Viserys. He was the oddest of the bunch and had a very inflated ego. She was waiting with him to get popcorn when she felt a presence behind her. She turned to find Sandor glaring daggers at Viserys. The odd man merely smiled at the dangerous one and offered courtesies. She had tried to talk to Sandor, but he left without a word. Later on, as she was saying goodnight to Viserys, she got a call from Gendry, Arya’s boyfriend, to come pick up Sandor. He was drunk as a skunk at the bar Gendry worked at and was picking fights with people.

Arya had driven her to the bar, and Gendry gave her Sandor’s keys. He had allowed her to lead him out of the bar without a fuss. He mumbled the entire ride back to his house though she couldn’t make out what he was saying for the most part. She was tucking him into bed when he grabbed her wrist. “Why couldn’t it have been me?” he quietly sobbed. She didn’t know exactly what he meant. For all she knew, he was talking about a job or something, but considering everything that had happened that evening, a tiny bud of hope had blossomed again. She stayed the night, making sure he didn’t vomit and choke in his sleep. She left close to dawn, leaving him a glass of water, some pain reliever capsules, and a note that said, “Feel better soon, idiot.”

**********

The lights on the dance floor were turned down to set a romantic mood. His hand was warm and slightly sweaty as he held her and they swayed to the slow love ballad from the live band. She moved his hands to both be on her waist, leaving her to wrap her arms around his neck and lean her head onto his shoulder. She felt content in his arms. The singer was good, and the song ended too quickly in Sansa’s opinion. She held onto his hand as they headed back to the table. They were mostly quiet as they ate, enjoying the music and watching the people dancing.

**********

“So what ride did you want to go on?” he asked as they exited the restaurant. The wary look in his eye made her laugh.

“Don’t worry, it’s a slow one,” she reassured him.

Fifteen minutes later, they were standing in front of the ferris wheel. It was humongous. Maybe even bigger than the skyscreamer. Most of the other people in line were also couples. The sun was already dipping under the horizon by the time they boarded one of the little capsules. The ferris wheel was in continuous motion, moving slowly enough for passengers to embark and disembark safely. Sandor made a growling noise as he stepped into the capsule. Sansa pulled his hand and sat down with him.

“Look, we have a great view of the fireworks,” she pointed out. “They’re supposed to be over at that cliff wall, so that everyone in the park can see them, but really, this is the best spot for them. The entire ride takes about half an hour. Once it’s over, it’ll be time to leave the park, so I thought this might be a nice way to round off our date.”

She had expected/feared a reaction from Sandor with that last word, but he merely nodded.

“Before the fireworks start, I wanted to answer your question,” she said. He gave her a confused look. She had kind of figured he would forget, but she wanted to answer him anyway. “I’m not sorry I kissed you. Not one tiny bit, even if everyone on the bus had caught us. I’ve been wanting to kiss you since the weekend we covered the homecoming game and festivities together for yearbook.”

He made a strained face. “You broke up with Joff the day after.”

She nodded. “It was not a coincidence.”

He was on her in that next instant, his mouth harsh and unyielding. She didn’t mind, meeting his kiss with equal brutality, all the wanting and frustration they had both felt for too long being let go in that mashing of lips, teeth and tongue. It was quite horrible and wonderful at the same time. The _crack_ of the first firework startled them into breaking apart. She laughed first and he joined her soon after. “I’m sorry, little bird, for making you wait so long. For making both of us wait so long.”

She kissed him again, this one soft and forgiving. “Better make it worth the wait then,” she teased.

Sliding onto his lap, they watched the fireworks together, occasionally turning to each other for a slow, sweet kiss.

As they boarded the party bus together, hand in hand, Sansa remembered one more thing. They sat in the back, largely ignored by the rest of the passengers who were each wrapped up in their own little bubbles of love. Bronn was making out heavily with Margaery. Arianne and Arys were talking in loving, quiet tones. Even Balon, who had come to the park by himself, was now leaving with a pretty blonde. Joffrey, Meryn, Preston and Boros were all absent, as were the belongings they had left on the bus.

“Sandor, this was, by far, one of the best dates I’ve ever had, including all the dream ones. And in case it wasn’t made clear, I want to be your girlfriend and have many more dates with you.” She blushed a little at her forwardness, but she refused to let another miscommunication happen.

“Hmm...well, I happily agree, but according to what I learned today, we’ve apparently been dating for a while,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

“W-what?”  _So...I guess I could have been more wanton today? Stop it, Sansa. Be cool. But his lips look so yummy...I SAID BE COOL._ She settled for leaning on him and lacing his fingers through hers.  _For now._  

“Yeah, everyone, including Joffrey, thought we were dating this entire time. Don’t know when it started, probably back in high school. Starting to think even your family thought it. Would definitely explain the first time I met your brothers. And Arya.”

“I don’t think I want to know,” she giggled. “But, on the plus side, we don’t have to worry about telling them?”

“Let them keep guessing,” he said, pulling her down to sit next to him as the bus shifted into drive and took them back home.


End file.
